Kansas City Royals: It is ‘Either/Or’ With Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer

The Kansas City Royals should have the money to resign possibly two of their upcoming free agents. It is no surprise that they cannot keep them all. Tell me what team ever does.

Fans of the Kansas City Royals have made their opinions known all across social media. No one wants to lose core players from the championship team. Instead of diving into the potential financial commitments I want to look at the roster make-up and what makes sense from a fit point of view.

I have expressed my feelings before, both here and here, as to why Lorenzo Cain needs to be the player that the Kansas City Royals resign this off-season. My counterpart Alex made the argument for our beloved first baseman.

It would be great to see Eric Hosmer back with the team as well. However, when you are talking about these two specific players I cannot see a scenario where “and” is involved.

It will end up being an “Either/Or” choice.

Based on this group of players: Alex Gordon, Brandon Moss, Jorge Bonifacio and Jorge Soler – fitting one, and only one, of Hos or Cain back in the lineup, is the only thing that makes sense. Those four guys all are going to be a part of the 2018 Kansas City Royals…regardless of if they should be or not.

If the team was to resign LoCain for example then Moss could play out his final year in KC at first base. Doing so allows Gordo, Cain and Bonifacio to lineup across the outfield with Soler getting regular at bats from the DH spot.

Resigning Hos would place the Kansas City Royals in a spot where Moss continues at DH, fine. The outfield then most likely becomes Bonifacio/Gordon/Soler. You can decide for yourself which configuration you would rather see. You can guess my choice.

My biggest thing is that for the long-term outlook of the Kansas City Royals the Jorge’s need to play every day in 2018. If the team is going to turn this rebuild around quickly, those are two guys who need to be major contributors for the offense.

The ‘And’ Factor

If you want to talk about an “and” scenario for the Kansas City Royals then you must include new home run king Mike Moustakas. Pairing him with Cain or his buddy Hos makes complete sense. Either would still leave openings for the new wave to get their reps. Like I said, I am not going to dive into financials, but resigning Moose and Hos seems like a stretch. Make of that what you will.

If Dayton Moore can strike the right balance between veterans and youth then the Kansas City Royals could get back to contention quicker than expected. However do not expect to see both Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer return in 2018.

Next: Moose Is the New Home Run King

What do you think Royals Nation? Is there a way, without the Kansas City Royals ridding themselves of a player, that keeping Cain and Hosmer makes sense? Maybe MLB could add a rover position so everyone has a spot…